Our store in Ledbury is stocked to the rafters with not only our own produce, but cider and other drinks from 25+ other local producers from Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire (and occaisional guest ciders from further afield!)

Cropsharers

We run two novel orchard schemes - Dragon Orchard Cropsharers and a Sponsor a Tree scheme - click on the menu for details

Events

We host a number of tours and events throughout the year, from orchard walks and cider tastings to poetry festival events and more... See our events page for more details.

Ellis Bitter cider apple.

A full bittersweet variety, with lots of tannins and rich flavours - a lovely component in many of our blended ciders

Our store in Ledbury is stocked to the rafters with not only our own produce, but cider and other drinks from 25+ other local producers from Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire (and occaisional guest ciders from further afield!)

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Woodpecker Survey

Last night, Hannah, Meg and I were invited to the Cider Museum in Hereford for the launch of the Herefordshire Biodiversity Partnership Woodpecker Survey Exhibition, which details the first year of this project.

"Orchards have recently become a priority Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) habitat which means that they have been noted for their invaluable biodiversity interest and that they are subject to decline if not managed sensitively. Herefordshire as a county holds the most orchards / highest density in the UK. As a result, we have listed orchards also as a priority habitat and it has been afforded a habitat action plan." (taken from Herefordshire Biodiversity Partnership website)

The survey is being collated by the Herefordshire Ornithological Club(click to learn more and partake in the survey) and they are detailing the locations and habitat of each of the three UK species of woodpecker:

The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is about the size of a sparrow and now increasingly rare. It has a strong link to orchards, particularly old, and neglected orchards that still contain deadwood, where it is able to nest and feed, and it is this loss of habitat that is reducing breeding numbers. It is now an RSPB ‘Red list’ species, requiring urgent conservation action.

The Green Woodpecker is the largest of our woodpeckers, is also in decline, and registered as an 'Amber list' species.

We loved the fantastic photos taken by the very talented photographer and international conservation expert Evan Bowen-Jones the photos really brought to life the colours and textures of the birds and their habitat, with helpful and interesting interpretation boards around the room to explain about the species, why the survey is taking place and how you can help.

We put our stickers on the Herefordshire map as we have Great Spotted Woodpeckers in our garden and around the orchard, and we occasionally spot a Green Woodpecker, but we have yet to spot the rare Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in our immediate area, we'll keep our eyes peeled, but they are secretive and spend most of their time high in the tree tops.

If you have a chance to get into Hereford in the next few weeks, go along to the cider museum to see the exhibition, and enjoy the link between wildlife, orchards, apples and cider! If not, and you live in Herefordshire, do take part in the survey.

I now feel very inspired to try a bit of orchard wildlife photography - I must put "telephoto lens" on my Christmas list....